


Please Don't Leave

by biscuits_and_whiskey



Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Angst, Blood and Injury, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Language, Nightmares, Our detectives get a hug, Temporary Character Death, could be read as platonic or romantic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:06:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23282977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/biscuits_and_whiskey/pseuds/biscuits_and_whiskey
Summary: A pursuit of a suspect goes horribly wrong.
Relationships: Alec Hardy & Ellie Miller
Comments: 14
Kudos: 131





	1. Chapter 1

They’d been chasing him for weeks, and it seemed their search was coming to an end.

  
A tip-off from a local brought Hardy and Ellie to a distant, and long thought abandoned, piece of farmland. The property had apparently once belonged to their suspect’s grandfather, and now sat dilapidated amidst the overgrown grass.

Followed by backup PCs, Ellie parked the car a few yards away.

“Ready, sir?” She asked.

“Yup. Ready as I’ll ever be.” He sighed as they exited.

  
They fanned out throughout the property, PCs surrounding the abandoned house while Hardy and Ellie scoped the barn.

Information on the suspect was slim. He had no previous record, but testimony from neighbors suggested he could be skittish.

Still, both Ellie and Hardy were on edge.

The state of the victim, found ditched in an industrial bin, didn’t suggest anything planned by the perpetrator.

It was messy and cruel, which suggested that their suspect might turn aggressive, violent, even _deadly_.

  
Hence the extra backup.

The barn door had been left ajar. Moldy straw littered the ground and filled the air with a stale stench. The barn’s interior was a black void with little hint to what laid within.

Ellie gave him a look, a silent hold for further instruction.

Hardy’s lips thinned before he decided, with a gesture, for them to enter in tandem.

Torches at the ready, Hardy gave the barn door a firm shove.

“Mr. Samuels? Come out with your hands visible. We have the property surrounded.” He announced.

  
There was no movement, save for a rat that skittered across the room.

  
With a frown, Hardy gestured for Ellie to guard the door while he proceeded further. He swept the space with his torch and illuminated every hidden corner and crevice.

His free hand flew to his face as the stench went from stale to foul, the odor unmistakable.

“ _Christ_ …” He hissed as the torch revealed a blood-splattered limb.

“Find something, Hardy?”

He glanced back over his shoulder.

“There’s a body back here. Looks new. Another woman.”

“ _Jesus_.” Ellie winced.

“Once we’ve searched the property, call SOCO in for analysis. Something tells me that they died the same as our Jane Doe – “

  
Something shifted in the hay.

Before Hardy could react, a large figure darted out and bowled him over.

He landed harsh against the concrete. His torch bounced out of reach.

“Sir!” called Ellie.

“He’s making a run for it!” groaned Hardy as he struggled to his feet.

Ellie leapt into the light and blocked the perpetrator’s path.

“Stop! Put your hands in the air and don’t make – “

The assailant cared little and rushed at Ellie.

  
Hardy scrambled to his feet and ran to her aid.

Ellie tussled and grappled with the man. He may be bigger than her, but she was a trained detective. She hadn’t completed academy for nothing.

She pulled herself from the man’s grip and socked him across the cheek.

She followed with a firm backhand.

The man, however, was unfazed.

His meaty hand flew forward and clawed at her neck, the other pinning her arm.

“Hey!” shouted Hardy.

  
His fist met the man’s ribcage.

The man recoiled. His attention flipped to the other detective.

He threw Ellie off with a firm shove before he turned to Hardy.

Hardy was outmatched physically, but he knew he could outsmart him.

He threw a kick at the man’s kneecap and earned a howl of pain from the perpetrator.

  
The window was small; their perp drove his fist into Hardy’s stomach and nearly sent Hardy to the floor.

Hardy gasped and cursed. Spots swum through his vision.

The man took his chance and ran for the door.

“Miller! Get the PCs on call, he’s making a run for it.” Hardy called as he bolted after the suspect.

He emerged once more into the late day light. He searched feverishly at the surroundings, at the endless fields of grass.

  
But the man was like a ghost.

He’d vanished.

  
Hardy’s brow furrowed. The man had been quick, but not _that_ quick.

“The hell – “He panted as he continued to look.

But there was nothing but grass. The crickets were his only answer.

“ _Shit_ …” He hissed as he ran a hand through his hair.

His eyes scanned the horizon, but indeed, there wasn’t a trace of Mr. Samuels.

“Miller, we need a perimeter established. Scout the fields. Mr. Samuels _has_ to be nearby – “He started as he turned.

  
And only then did he finally realize: Miller never followed him out.

He stopped and, for a moment, stared at where she should’ve been.

“Miller?” He called as his brow furrowed.

At first, there was nothing, but then he heard it.

  
A weak cough and a small groan from inside the barn.

  
His blood froze.

He didn’t hesitate; he sprinted back into the barn.

“Miller??” He called.

Two torches laid on the ground. His own sat back far in the barn, illuminating a random wall.

The other, Ellie’s, had come to a stop near the place she and Mr. Samuels had fought.

It pointed towards his left, towards a near wall.

  
Towards Ellie, who sat slumped against a tower of old straw.

With two tines jutting from her chest.

The color drained from his face.

Ellie, almost in response, coughed violently. Blood dripped past her lips.

“ _Shit_ , no…” Hardy muttered as he slid in front of her, onto his knees.

His hands hovered in the space between them, lost as to what to do first, if there was _anything_ to be done.

One made a choice: to fly over his mouth.

The other clenched into a fist.

Tears built, but those wouldn’t help. They wouldn’t save Miller.

“I NEED AN AMBULANCE, _NOW_!” He shouted over his shoulder. “BOB, ANDY, WE HAVE AN OFFICER DOWN AND SO HELP ME IF YOU STALL – “

  
“Sir.”

Hardy’s gaze snapped back to Ellie.

Her eyes had grown cloudy. Her breathing was labored.

“ _Miller_ ,” He said in a hushed voice.

He swallowed dryly and tried to force down everything that wanted to spill forth.

“…it’ll be okay. It’ll be fine, _you’ll_ be fine. PC Bob and Andy are calling an ambulance. You’ll be in hospital, _you’ll survive this_. Okay? Okay?”

His eyes dipped low, back to the blood-stained tines, and his face betrayed him.

“You _knob_.” She laughed weakly with a cough. “For a detective, you’re a bad liar.”

“Shut up, Miller.” Hardy muttered through gritted teeth. “You’ll be okay. You’ll get better.”

“I won’t.” said Ellie wearily. “I…I’m already feeling cold.”

“Cold… _no_ , okay, _shit_ , here…” Hardy said as he snatched up one of her hands.

He rubbed them between his, fast enough to start a fire.

“Better? Feeling warmer? Here, s-sorry, this might – “Hardy assured feverishly as he puffed onto her cooling hand.

“Just sort of hurts, sir.”

“ _I’m trying_ – fuck, Miller, I don’t…” Hardy nearly cracked.

Her eyelids fluttered, ever so briefly.

“Hey! No, no, NO, Miller, stay awake! That’s an order, Miller!” Hardy begged as he patted her cheek. “If you fall asleep, y-you might not…”

Ellie hummed tiredly and coughed.

“M’sorry sir. Didn’t sleep well.” She said. “Freddie keeps me up still you know. Monsters under his bed.”

Hardy’s eyes watered. His lips twitched into a small, thin, fond smile as he continued to rub her hand.

“I know. Poor lad still has bed monsters. Still needs you to keep them away.”

“You’ll do it for me.”

“I – no, Miller, I _can_ but _don’t need to_. You’ll live through this, you’ll come home, Freddie and Tom will have their mum – “

“Please, sir, I just want to rest.” She exhaled.

Hardy gritted his teeth, fought against the welling tears. His gaze flitted over his shoulder.

“BOB! Where the _fuck_ is that ambulance?!” He screamed. “If it isn’t here, I swear I’ll _fire you personally_ – “

“Bit extreme, don’t you think sir?”

Hardy looked back at her. The fight against the tears was quickly lost.

She looked so pale, _too_ pale. The only color was the blood on her chin.

The light, the one Hardy associated with her, as Ellie, was fading fast.

Her coughing grew shallower and weaker.

“Miller,” Hardy begged. “please, you have to keep fighting. Damnit, you…you’re the strongest person I know and if you give up now…”

She wasn’t looking at him anymore. Her eyes grew glassy and cold.

“Mill – _Ellie_ , please,” Hardy sobbed. “you can’t…you can’t die. They need…they… _I_ …”

He could feel her limbs slack, her hand lose its grip and go limp in his own. Her skin was ice cold.

  
He felt as she took her last breath and, slowly, released it.

And go still.

  
Hardy’s expression strained, tension taught, the crinkles at the corners of his eyes deepening.

His teeth bore together as he fought to stifle sobs and wails. Tears poured over his cheeks and down his jaw.

He pulled her hand to his forehead and held it there, a desperate search for her because she _had_ to still be there.

“I’m sorry…” He cried. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, _I’m sorry_ …”

The shadows grew around him, darkening and building.

The fields were swallowed with inky blackness.

It pooled past the barn’s door.

He pulled Ellie from the pitchfork’s tines and into his arms, cradling her.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

Figures surrounded him, standing in judgement with cold stares.

Danny. Lisa. Pippa.

The shadows pulled at his ankles.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

  
It swallowed _everything_.

Water filled his ears.

“ _I’m sorry_.”

  
\--

He awoke, as he often did, in a pool of sweat.

  
His heartbeat rapidly, wildly, in his chest; his eyes searched the room.

His sheets strangled his legs as they flailed for purchase, restrained his arms.

His eyes fixed onto the ceiling, familiar and off-white with the light of the moon.

  
Slowly, he stilled, and stared upwards.

  
He realized, finally, he was in his room.

  
Yet his trembling continued.

Yet his heartbeat in his ears.

  
His frantic fingers dug for his mobile and found it, as usual, on his nightstand.

He threw himself upright as he feverishly skimmed to the call log.

Her number, as usual, was right at the top.

He jabbed the contact and pressed the phone to his ear.

  
It rang. Rang. Rang.

Each ring was torture.

“ _Pick up, pick up, pick up_ …”

A click.

“Erg…hello?” a sleep-laden voice answered.

He stilled; choked out a relieved gasp.

“Hello?”

“ _Miller_.” He finally eked out. His hand trembled.

“Sir? Is that…sir, it’s _four in the morning_.”

His gaze flitted to the LED clock on his nightstand.

“I-It is.” He noted.

He heard her sigh.

“Look Hardy, I know you’re a workaholic, but humans need sleep.” She groaned. “Then again, I guess Freddie will be up in an hour anyways.”

“Right…s-sorry.” Hardy stammered.

  
There was a pause.

  
“Everything okay, sir?” She asked.

Was it? It really wasn’t, but would he let her know that?

As the nightmare passed, the guilt and embarrassment settled in.

He knew now. Miller was alive, not gored and bleeding out in his arms.

She was okay.

His fingers dug into his mattress.

“…Yeah.” He finally answered. “Sorry to wake ya, Miller.”

  
He should hang up.

“You can go back to sleep – “

“ _Sir_.”

He froze.

“You’re lying, aren’t you.”

His throat thickened at the accusation.

He shivered but didn’t answer.

He could hear her sheets shift and rustle.

“Was it Sandbrook again?”

  
His eyes widened.

“T-Tess might’ve said something. Sorry.” Ellie fumbled.

For once, Hardy didn’t care.

“No, it’s okay. I-It wasn’t…” He started.

He glanced at his trembling hand and sighed.

“…wasn’t Sandbrook.”

A pause.

“Something else then?”

Hardy’s lips thinned.

“Don’t wanna talk about it.” He answered.

He could hear her think, perhaps debate on pressing him for the truth.

“…what do you need, Hardy? What can I do to help you?” She asked, far more quietly.

Hardy’s words tripped on his tongue. His free hand bunched fistfuls of sheets.

“Just…just talk to me. Bout anything.” He said. “ _Please_. Not too long, won’t keep you up, but _please_ …”

He wondered if she could hear the chatter of his teeth.

“Course, sir. Just…anything? Even case details?”

“ _No_ , n-no, not that. Something, ach, something – “He struggled. “ – y-you were saying Fred broke into the snacks the other day. Tell me, tell me bout that. Just, um, tell me, he get sick? Time out?”

  
There was a pause. He could hear her bed shift.

  
“I can talk about that. But sir?”

“Yeah?”

“We’re going to talk about this later on. You don’t need to tell me everything, but…we’ll just have a talk.”

Hardy nodded feverishly.

“Y-Yeah, okay. Just, please _Ellie_ – “

He stopped.

“ – Miller, please.”

“I will, but you’re right worrying me, Hardy.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“We will talk.” She said again.

“Okay.”

And then Ellie started, about Fred, about the snack drawer that he usually knows is off-limits but that day ignored, about the five or so emptied packs of crisps she found on the kitchen floor.

There were points she laughed, groaned, he could hear the roll of her eyes.

Every piece of Ellie Miller, every little spark and detail.

Every reminder that she was _here_ and _alive_.

  
That it was just a nightmare.

  
Soon Hardy sunk back against the mattress, content to let Ellie rattle on into tangents about childcare and Tom’s university plans.

Anything to wash away the images his mind concocted.


	2. Chapter 2

“…You’re falling asleep, sir?”

  
She heard a hum, a mumbled nod from the other side.

“ _Might be_.” He answered. “ _Not much good it’ll do, I think. Almost morn’._ ”

She yawned.

“Just call in late.” She said in hushed whisper. “I probably will.”

“ _Right…sorry._ ”

  
She sighed.

“Christ, stop apologizing. It’s okay. It really is.”

“ _I woke you up for nothing –_ “

“ _Not_ nothing.”

“ _A bloody nightmare, Miller. Like a toddler –_ “

“Sir, _please_ , you’re absolved. You’re fine.” Her voice ragged. “You _won’t_ be fine if you don’t sleep though. Trust me, I know.”

  
On the other side, he went silent.

“…Okay?”

“ _…Yeah. No, you’re right. Should try and sleep._ ”

Ellie’s fingers drummed against the side of the mattress. Her thumb swept against the side of her mobile as the line remained connected.

She chewed her lip.

“I’ll talk to you later, sir?”

“ _Right. Night, Miller_.”

  
The dial tone signaled the call’s end.

She slowly lowered the mobile from her ear, gazed at the dimmed screen.

It remained warm in her hand as she sat there, contemplating.

With a sigh, clicked the screen off.

She laid it on her nightstand and shuffled under the sheets.

On her back, she stared at the ceiling.

Tired as she was, she couldn’t make herself sleep again.

  
She ran through Hardy’s words, the conclusion of their conversation.

“ _Bit harsh, I was. Bet so. He sounded right nervous still._ ” She frowned. “ _But can’t coddle him all night either. Both got an early one tomor – today. Besides, was just a nightmare._ ”

Her hand fisted at the sheets.

“ _A nightmare that made him…_ Hardy _, like that._ ”

She tried, and failed, not to think of the fact that, not since the reopening of the Sandbrook case, she’d never heard him so _scared_.

“ _What could scare him more than Sandbrook?_ ”

She ran through the possibilities in her head, but they were scant.

Anything she could come up with, he’d have told her.

Right?

  
“ _Would he tell me?_ ”

  
That sank harder in her than she’d like to admit.

It’s not that he hadn’t hidden things from her before.

She frowned as she remembered his heart attack. She _still_ wasn’t sure if she’d forgiven him for that debacle, for hiding such important information.

For scaring her like that.

So, really, the nightmare could be anything.

And that anything, there was no guarantee he’d _disclose_ it.

  
“ _You’d think three years knowing someone…you’d be_ sure.”

  
But he called her, _her_ in the middle of the night.

Hardy was too much of a logical bastard to give her table scraps on purpose.

The evidence cancelled each other out.

Which left her at square one.

Left her _stuck_ at square one.

And left her very much _awake_.

She groaned and slung an arm over her eyes.

“’ _Nough of this. Early one…soon. Might sleep a little_.”

  
She shot a message to Jenkinson, a quick text to call in late, give herself an extra hour or two.

Shouldn’t bother her given the slow crawl of cases.

She turned to her side and shoved the thoughts of Hardy and his nightmare aside.

  
Second pillow cuddled against her, she slowly nodded back to sleep.

  
\--

_Hands firm at the wheel, she drove up the sandy road, up towards the crest of the cliffs._

  
Her brows furrowed deep, threatened to drive a permanent crease between them.

Not that she noticed.

All she cared about was ending this.

  
Because, damnit, this has gone on _too long_.

  
At the first sight of the figure, she veered the car to a side stop.

She narrowly managed to properly park the car before she ambled out, door slammed hard enough to rock it behind her.

The salty wind tousled her hair and rustled her jacket.

The figure stared at her.

She stared back.

  
With a rough sigh, she drew her coat close and tromped upwards.

The sirens died to silence, a signal that her backup arrived.

They knew better than to interfere though.

Grass crackled beneath her as the figure, once a silhouette, attained its details.

Became two, from the crumpled figure beside the tallest one.

She raised the pace.

Until he was clear as crystal.

  
Christ, how could he have changed so little?

  
“El.” Said Joe, a relieved sigh tainting his lips.

He dared to smile warmly.

“It’s been too long. Look beautiful as ever. Lord, I’ve _missed you_ -”

“ _Shut. Up._ ” She hissed. “Hand him over. _Now_.”

His smile evaporated.

“Who?”

“Don’t. Play cute.” Ellie gritted. “If you don’t give him back right now, I’ve got an entire constabulary ready to haul your ass to prison, where you _should’ve_ gone the first time.”

Joe nodded, expression wobbling, as it grew frantic.

“Course. That’s all that matters anymore, right? Your boss, your _work partner_. _Friend_.” He spat the last word. “Right, you want Hardy?”

  
He pulled the crumpled figure into view and _oh lord_.

  
Ellie had to fight every instinct, every urge, not to run to his side.

Hardy was a patchwork pattern of bruises, of lacerations, of dried and fresh blood.

The fact that she could see his eyes amidst the purpled skin was a miracle on its own.

His bloodied shirt collar was bunched, fisted in Joe’s hand.

The poor detective, her friend, seemed to be held upright by Joe alone.

He’d yet to say a thing.

Her breathing heaved, stuttered to short gasps and urgent attempts to stifle tears.

She would _not_ let herself cry in front of that _monster_.

She stepped forward.

  
Joe, in return, stepped back, towards the cliff.

  
“Not so fast, El.” He said coolly. “I want something first.”

She froze, face flashed to a snarl.

“What makes you think I’ll give you _anything_ , you _bastard_ – “

“Because,” Joe interrupted. “it’s a long fall back there. _191 meters_ , if you’d believe it.”

Ellie stopped, frowned, before realization flickered in her eyes.

“Specially, for someone like him. In his condition.” He said with a passive gesture.

“And think about the community, El. Really, we both know _another_ body on the beach is the last thing it needs.”

  
She sputtered, stood halfway between screaming and charging at the miserable excuse before her, which gave out to stunned stillness. Her hands opened and clenched at nothing.

Her teeth ground together.

“What do you want.”

Joe’s grip loosened.

“One thing, El. The boys, I want to see them again.” Joe said, eyes misting over. “I miss ‘em, El. I miss _our family_. I want us together again.”

“Over my dead body.”

“Oh, might mean _his._ ”

He tightened his grip and pulled a strangled cry from Hardy.

“If you say no, anyways. And…El, we can keep this easy. Remember how it was? It was _easy_ , back with you and I. Let’s go back to that. Just say yes, and this _ends_.”

Hardy forced himself to look over; a tear spilled past his bruised eyes.

He could only, feebly, shake his head with a pleading look.

He didn’t need to say it.

  
“You know we can’t go back.” Ellie said softly. “You destroyed everything when you killed Danny.”

“El – “

“You’re _dead_ to me, the boys, _everyone_. To even come back, the gall – “

“You think about me. Miss me.”

“Not even a _second_ , Joe.”

“But you think about this,”

His hand slipped from Hardy’s neck to his hair and grabbed a fistful.

Hardy groaned; Ellie’s expression betrayed her.

“don’t you? So, in a way, you do. Got that going at least.”

  
The bile burned within her.

How could she have _married_ such a man?

“Need an answer, El. Don’t have all day.”

At his words, the temperature of the wind pitched downward. Waves crashed violently below.

All the while, Joe snuck back further, snuck _Hardy_ further back.

The tips of his shoes dangled over the edge.

Her time was slipping fast, but neither answer would do.

She wouldn’t let Hardy die, but she couldn’t betray her boys either.

“W-Why, Joe? Why get Hardy strung up in this? Huh? I-Isn’t, it’s _me_ you’re pissed at. Bloody well, kill _me_. Leave him alone.”

“See, that wouldn’t work, El, because I need you _alive_. For our family.”

“And Hardy?”

Joe shrugged.

“Means to an end.”

The flames burned in her eyes.

“Are we a family again?”

  
She glanced behind her.

Her backup had vanished.

  
She looked at Joe once more.

Her heart sunk as the only option loomed.

She’d apologize to her boys, and Hardy, later.

“We are.” She finally said. “I’m…sorry, Joe.”

  
Joe’s eyebrow quirked up; his gaze softened.

He released his hold on Hardy’s hair and the detective slacked against his side.

Ellie panted and gazed pleadingly.

“N-Now, knock this off. Let’s get…get back home. Leave him and we’ll go.”

The look in Joe’s eyes, the softness, hardened.

Just a little, easy to miss by anyone that wasn’t Ellie.

She realized her mistake a little too late.

  
“Playing me, El?” Joe raggedly laughed.

He hoisted Hardy up by the collar.

Ellie’s pupils shrunk.

“Wh – no…”

“I’d really hoped for better.”

  
And, in one swift movement, he threw Hardy over the edge.

  
“NO!”

Ellie screamed as she scrambled her way, stumbled her way, to the edge.

She fell to her knees and hopelessly reached out.

Hardy was already out of reach.

The last thing they shared was a look.

One-part apology, one-part forgiveness.

  
Before he plummeted down, down, down.

And was swallowed by the sea.

She was left there, at the perilous cliffs, nails dug into the sandy ground, arms trembling.

Hoarse cries remained trapped in her throat; face screwed to fruitlessly fight tears.

The light around her darkened; _he_ loomed.

  
With a swift kick, before she could register him, she too flew over the edge.

  
Through salt-slick air, through mists of ocean spray.

Past darkened rocks tinged red.

Towards a churning sea, blue stained crimson.

Towards shadows in the water and silenced screams.

  
She collided face first.

  
\--

“NO!”

  
She toppled into a heap of blankets off the side of her bed.

Her head knocked against the frame of the nightstand.

She laid, splayed like a starfish, across her carpet.

  
Her breath had yet to catch up to her realization.

  
She laid there, shaken, sweating.

Her alarm lightly buzzed.

Fumbling fingers reached up and shut it off.

Arm said fumbling fingers belonged to slacked over her head, bumped the nightstand.

Other hand clutched at the blankets.

She finally realized her cheeks were damp.

  
Her door creaked open slowly.

“Mum?”

Little Freddie crept in and, gently, closed the door behind him.

“Are you okay?”

Her eyes flitted to her youngest child, her anchor.

She swallowed thickly and nodded, unable to trust her voice not to crack.

“You were yelling, Mumma. Scared me.”

He stopped and crouched beside her.

“Did you have a nigh’mare? You did, didn’t you?”

Ellie, slightly ashamed, nodded.

Freddie, however, wasn’t the judging type.

He merely leaned over and, as much as he could, hugged her.

“It okay, Mumma. I have bad dreams too.”

  
Another tear slipped free.

She carefully accepted her son’s small hug.

“Thanks, Freddie.” She whispered.

  
\--

  
When she arrived at work two hours later, Hardy was in his office.

  
He looked about as bad as she expected he’d look, not recovered from his terrible night.

On his desk sat a takeaway cup and a paper baggie.

When she knocked, slipped in, and shut the door behind her, he stood.

“Miller,” He started.

He rounded his desk with the baggie in hand.

“got you a Danish. You like those. And, uh, chai. Extra hot. Nutmeg stuff on top.”

He stopped once he got a look at her.

  
“You alright? Christ, no, you didn’t sleep after I – “

  
He was halted, suddenly, as Ellie flung herself at him, pulled him into a tight hug, buried her face against his chest.

He froze, deer in the headlights.

“W-What – “

“I get it.” Ellie interrupted, partially muffled.

She sharply sighed.

“Think I got it.”

  
Slowly, Hardy understood.

He returned the hug.

“Thought we don’t do this.”

“We _don’t_. Just,” She shook her head against him. “this once.”

He nodded.

“Right.”

They were both glad the shades were drawn. Lord knows what gossip might spread from this one little hug.

“Don’t go near the cliffs today.” Said Ellie.

Hardy gently rubbed her back.

“Don’t go near any barns.”

“Barns?” asked Ellie with a hoarse scoff.

“S’complicated.”

  
She nodded.

“I promise.”

“I promise too.”

She sighed, laughed gently, and slacked against him.

“Last night was shite.” She mumbled. “Could go for drinks later tonight, unless – “

“ _Yes_.” He interrupted.

She looked up.

“Just this once.”

  
She smiled and they let go.

And the day was alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wasnt sure how to cont. this at first but here we go lol
> 
> sry for no new stuff in a while lifes been crazy and had no time to write, but hopefully i can work on stuff soon

**Author's Note:**

> i'm not good at titles lol
> 
> just a little something while i edit open water sorry for the feels lol stay safe everyone


End file.
